“Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Hebrews 9:9-10

The writer of Hebrews likes the expression ‘once for all,’ using it five times. We encountered it twice in yesterday’s reading, it appears twice in these verses, and once in chapter 7:27. Four times he connects the expression with the sacrifice of Christ, making his point that this sacrifice is unique, once only, and never to be repeated. The other time is when he contrasts Christ’s unique sacrifice with the former sacrifices that were repeated ‘endlessly year after year’ (v. 1). If they had been eternally effective, he asks, ‘would they not have stopped being offered?’ (v. 2). For then, the worshippers would have been cleansed ‘once for all’ and the sacrifices would no longer be necessary.

Jesus, doing God’s will involved the offering of his body. We need to take care, however, not to reduce the will of God for Jesus to the cross alone. His death was the culmination of an entire life freely offered to God. To do God’s will, whatever that involved, was what made his death on the cross effective in making us holy.

CLOSING PRAYER

Submitted to the will of your Father, Jesus, you held nothing back for my sake. Help me to give all that I am for you and for your glory.

(Edited from Encounter with God)